WalletPop Blog http://www.walletpop.com/blog WalletPop Blog http://www.walletpop.com/blog/media/feedlogo.gif WalletPop Blog http://www.walletpop.com/blog en-us Copyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/Scam busters turn the tables on those running the Nigerian scamhttp://www.walletpop.com/blog/2009/11/23/scam-busters-turn-the-tables-on-those-running-the-nigerian-scam/http://www.walletpop.com/blog/2009/11/23/scam-busters-turn-the-tables-on-those-running-the-nigerian-scam/http://www.walletpop.com/blog/2009/11/23/scam-busters-turn-the-tables-on-those-running-the-nigerian-scam/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

AcitoBeloved One,

I have the Courage to Crave Indulgence for this most opportune business venture...

Look familiar? A day doesn't go by day that I don't receive an e-mail from people with names like Dr. Fortunate Goodpence or Mrs. Pius Motubo soliciting my aid in recovering millions from banks in Nigeria, if only I just sent a little money to get started. Which means I greet each morning with the same thought: who still falls for this crap?

Modern advance-fee scams, commonly called 419 scams after the number of the Nigerian Criminal Code, have been around for over twenty-five years, but exploded with the growth of the internet. So you'd think we'd all be wise to them, yet the latest statistics available show that worldwide losses to these kind of scams topped $4.3 billion in 2007 - and those were just the ones reported. Because, let's face it, losing money due to greed and a sense of colonial superiority to Africans is super embarrassing.

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Scam busters turn the tables on those running the Nigerian scam originally appeared on WalletPop Blog on Mon, 23 Nov 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>419 scam419eater419Scamars technicaArsTechnicacitibanknigerianigeria scamNigeriaScamproject eagle clawProjectEagleClawMarc AcitoMon, 23 Nov 2009 14:00:00 ESTHow not to argue with your spouse about money - opera stylehttp://www.walletpop.com/blog/2009/11/03/how-not-to-argue-with-your-spouse-about-money-opera-style/http://www.walletpop.com/blog/2009/11/03/how-not-to-argue-with-your-spouse-about-money-opera-style/http://www.walletpop.com/blog/2009/11/03/how-not-to-argue-with-your-spouse-about-money-opera-style/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


I recently learned how to avoid arguing about money with my spouse from an unlikely source: composer Phillip Glass. Not Glass himself - I'm hip, but I'm not that hip. No, I got marriage and money advice from Glass's setting of the classic Jean Cocteau film Orphée, which is having its West Coast premiere at Portland Opera this week. Starring me.

Okay, not starring me. But in this setting of the Greek myth, Orpheus travels through a mirror to the Underworld to rescue his wife, where he finds a glass maker who likes his job so much he can't stop working, even though he's dead. That's me. If you buy the CD that's being made, you'll hear me sing the words "glass maker" in French a whopping three times. But what the role lacks in actual length it makes up for in symbolic depth, so much so that Cocteau himself played it when he first wrote the piece as a play.

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How not to argue with your spouse about money - opera style originally appeared on WalletPop Blog on Tue, 03 Nov 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>Jean CocteauJeanCocteauMarc AcitoMarcAcitoOrpheePhillip GlassPhillipGlassPortland OperaPortlandOperaPsychology TodayPsychologyTodaySteven SosnyStevenSosnyMarc AcitoTue, 03 Nov 2009 12:00:00 ESTThe Upside: Habits of the rich and thinhttp://www.walletpop.com/blog/2009/10/20/the-habits-of-the-rich-and-thin/http://www.walletpop.com/blog/2009/10/20/the-habits-of-the-rich-and-thin/http://www.walletpop.com/blog/2009/10/20/the-habits-of-the-rich-and-thin/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

Since the recession began, we've all been tightening our belts, but only metaphorically. As our finances have grown leaner, Americans' bellies continue to grow larger. Therefore, the question of how to increase net worth while decreasing net girth has been on my mind for a while -- like about 20 years.

You see, I've been both rich and poor as well as fat and thin. Say what you want about the best things in life being free and money not being able to buy you happiness; in my experience, rich and thin were way better. What's more, for me physical and fiscal fitness seem to go together.

For instance, with the help of Jim Karas' The Business Plan for the Body I lost more than 60 pounds in a year by applying the skills I learned from running a successful small business. Since then, I've noticed that the challenges and benefits of following a diet mirror that of following a budget.

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The Upside: Habits of the rich and thin originally appeared on WalletPop Blog on Tue, 20 Oct 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>Daniel EngbarDanielEngbarGoal settingGoalSettingJean Chajean chatzkyJeanChaJeanChatzkyJim KarJimKarMarc AcitoMarcAcitoobesity epobesity epidemicObesityEpObesityEpidemicSlate.comThe Business Plan for the BodyThe DifferenceThe upsideTheBusinessPlanForTheBodyTheDifferenceTheUpsideMarc AcitoTue, 20 Oct 2009 19:00:00 ESTDollar store shopping: bargain or marketing ploy?http://www.walletpop.com/blog/2009/10/05/dollar-store-shopping-bargain-or-marketing-ploy/http://www.walletpop.com/blog/2009/10/05/dollar-store-shopping-bargain-or-marketing-ploy/http://www.walletpop.com/blog/2009/10/05/dollar-store-shopping-bargain-or-marketing-ploy/#commentsFiled under: , ,

According to a recent Nielsen survey, savvy recessionistas now shop at dollar stores. Wanting to be savvy, I journeyed to the nearest Dollar Tree, which makes me sound like a character in a fairy tale:

"And there, Marco the Scribe found a magnificent tree and it was blooming money..."

My initial impression was to be impressed at how much you could buy for a buck: a shower curtain, a dog dish, safety goggles, a soap dispenser. "How can these stores stay in business?" I thought.

Continue reading Dollar store shopping: bargain or marketing ploy?

Dollar store shopping: bargain or marketing ploy? originally appeared on WalletPop Blog on Mon, 05 Oct 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>AlbertsonsDollar TreeDollarTreeLAs Totally Awesome Laundry DetergentLasTotallyAwesomeLaundryDetergentlays potato chipsLaysPotatoChipsMarc AcitoMarcAcitopace picante saucePacePicanteSaucePepperidge FarmsPepperidgeFarmsPiroulinesMarc AcitoMon, 05 Oct 2009 10:00:00 ESTThe Upside: Creative funding for the arts http://www.walletpop.com/blog/2009/09/22/the-upside-creative-funding-for-the-arts/http://www.walletpop.com/blog/2009/09/22/the-upside-creative-funding-for-the-arts/http://www.walletpop.com/blog/2009/09/22/the-upside-creative-funding-for-the-arts/#commentsFiled under: , ,

I know, I know: no one wants to hear artists complain about how hard it is to make a living. It's as if the freedom from being a cubicle-dweller has disqualified us from ever venting our frustrations with the constant hustle and the ongoing economic insecurity. Remember that know-it-all uncle who told you how hard it is to be an artist? He was right.

So I was especially interested to go to a lecture by artist A.L. Steiner at Portland's recent Time-Based Art Festival. Steiner is one of the co-founders of Working Artists and the Greater Economy, or W.A.G.E, "We demand payment for making the world more interesting," W.A.G.E. proclaims in its "womanifesto."

Continue reading The Upside: Creative funding for the arts

The Upside: Creative funding for the arts originally appeared on WalletPop Blog on Tue, 22 Sep 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>Kickstarter.comMarc AcitoMarcAcitoProject Paper TrailProjectPaperTrailTBA FestivalTbaFestivalW.A.G.E.Working Artists and the Greater EconomyWorkingArtistsAndTheGreaterEconomyMarc AcitoTue, 22 Sep 2009 12:00:00 ESTThe Upside: The recession and the future of marriagehttp://www.walletpop.com/blog/2009/09/06/the-upside-the-recession-and-the-future-of-marriage/http://www.walletpop.com/blog/2009/09/06/the-upside-the-recession-and-the-future-of-marriage/http://www.walletpop.com/blog/2009/09/06/the-upside-the-recession-and-the-future-of-marriage/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

You hear a lot about the toll the economy is taking on marriages. Both Oprah and Money Magazine are trying to recession-proof your marriage, while the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers reports that divorce filings are down by 40%, a phenomenon the NY Daily News calls "sleeping with the enemy."

I can relate. When my and my partner's real estate investments plummeted, we coped by not talking about it -- or to each other. It wasn't long before we were living like Ernie and Bert. Forget the wing-nuts who claim that gay marriage is causing the recession. The recession nearly caused my gay divorce.

Continue reading The Upside: The recession and the future of marriage

The Upside: The recession and the future of marriage originally appeared on WalletPop Blog on Sun, 06 Sep 2009 08:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>Michael ChabonMoney MagazinemyworkbutterlyRecession and MarriageRecessionAndMarriageRelationshipsSoccer UniverseSoccerUniverseMarc AcitoSun, 06 Sep 2009 08:01:00 ESTThe Upside: Hard times -- the sex industry and the recessionhttp://www.walletpop.com/blog/2009/08/18/the-upside-hard-times-the-sex-industry-and-the-recession/http://www.walletpop.com/blog/2009/08/18/the-upside-hard-times-the-sex-industry-and-the-recession/http://www.walletpop.com/blog/2009/08/18/the-upside-hard-times-the-sex-industry-and-the-recession/#commentsFiled under: ,

You know the old saying: "As porn goes, so goes the nation." Okay, I made it up, but it's true. Our nation's latest economic bellwether is the sex industry.

You see, once I learned that the global recession had put Czech hookers out of work, I began to wonder whether our home-grown American hookers have also given new meaning to the phrase "massive layoffs."

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The Upside: Hard times -- the sex industry and the recession originally appeared on WalletPop Blog on Tue, 18 Aug 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>Amazonescort serviceEscortServiceGood VibrationsGoodVibrationsHustler ClubiPhonePink VisualRed Light CenterScoresSecond LifeMarc AcitoTue, 18 Aug 2009 14:00:00 ESTThe Upside: The power of freehttp://www.walletpop.com/blog/2009/08/04/the-upside-the-power-of-free/http://www.walletpop.com/blog/2009/08/04/the-upside-the-power-of-free/http://www.walletpop.com/blog/2009/08/04/the-upside-the-power-of-free/#commentsFiled under:

Just because I haven't read a book doesn't stop me from debating it at cocktail parties. I mean, why let something like a lack of information get in the way of forming a strongly held opinion?

So what's currently on my mind is "Free: The Future of a Radical Price" by Chris Anderson, editor of Wired magazine and author of "The Long Tail," another book I didn't read but often debate.

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The Upside: The power of free originally appeared on WalletPop Blog on Tue, 04 Aug 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>chris andersonChrisAndersonmalcolm gladwellMalcolmGladwellmarc acitoMarcAcitothe new yorkerthe power of freeTheNewYorkerThePowerOfFreewall street journalWallStreetJournalwired magazineWiredMagazineMarc AcitoTue, 04 Aug 2009 09:00:00 ESTThe Upside: Rumble in the Jungle -- Margarine, Orangutans, and Youhttp://www.walletpop.com/blog/2009/07/21/the-upside-rumble-in-the-jungle-margarine-orangutans-and-yo/http://www.walletpop.com/blog/2009/07/21/the-upside-rumble-in-the-jungle-margarine-orangutans-and-yo/http://www.walletpop.com/blog/2009/07/21/the-upside-rumble-in-the-jungle-margarine-orangutans-and-yo/#commentsFiled under: ,

"Welcome to Jakarta," the sign read. And: "Death Penalty for Drug Traffickers!"

"All that exclamation point needs is a happy emoticon," said my traveling companion, novelist Eve Yohalem.

"Or one of those ADA icons with someone hanging from a noose," I added.

Continue reading The Upside: Rumble in the Jungle -- Margarine, Orangutans, and You

The Upside: Rumble in the Jungle -- Margarine, Orangutans, and You originally appeared on WalletPop Blog on Tue, 21 Jul 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>Birute GaldikasBiruteGaldikasEve YohalemEveYohalemindonesiaJakartaMarc AcitoMarcAcitoorangutansStorm LargeStormLargeMarc AcitoTue, 21 Jul 2009 08:00:00 ESTThe Upside: What Recession? Solutions for the New Economyhttp://www.walletpop.com/blog/2009/07/07/the-upside-what-recession-solutions-for-the-new-economy/http://www.walletpop.com/blog/2009/07/07/the-upside-what-recession-solutions-for-the-new-economy/http://www.walletpop.com/blog/2009/07/07/the-upside-what-recession-solutions-for-the-new-economy/#commentsFiled under: , ,

"I don't use the word recession," says gallery owner and art consultant Heidi McBride. "Any time I think about financial challenges I say 'I'm dealing with the new economy.' "

I couldn't agree more. For two years now the prognosticators have been like unrepentant drunks, promising us that we've hit bottom and that this time it really is going to get better.

Don't believe them. In the aftermath of a bull market all that's left is B.S.

But even though I'm one of the U.S.'s many underemployed, I'm not depressed. That's because I've already gone through denial, anger, and bargaining, and have finally moved on to acceptance.

Continue reading The Upside: What Recession? Solutions for the New Economy

The Upside: What Recession? Solutions for the New Economy originally appeared on WalletPop Blog on Tue, 07 Jul 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>Marc AcitoMarcAcitoMontreal by designMontrealByDesignnew economyNewEconomyOregon Shakespeare FestivalOregonShakespeareFestivalrecessionMarc AcitoTue, 07 Jul 2009 08:00:00 ESTThe Upside: Gays, Marriage, and Moneyhttp://www.walletpop.com/blog/2009/06/23/the-upside-gays-marriage-and-money/http://www.walletpop.com/blog/2009/06/23/the-upside-gays-marriage-and-money/http://www.walletpop.com/blog/2009/06/23/the-upside-gays-marriage-and-money/#commentsFiled under: ,

Obama may be the first president to bust a move, but who would have thought he'd use those skills to dance around the issue of marriage equality? In the same week that the U.S. government slipped a few benefits to same-sex partners of government employees, the Obama administration leapt to the defense of the so-called Defense of Marriage Act.

I say "so-called" because two gay people pledging their devotion to one another simply doesn't imperil anyone else's marriage. After all, we don't want to marry straight people, we want to marry each other.

Continue reading The Upside: Gays, Marriage, and Money

The Upside: Gays, Marriage, and Money originally appeared on WalletPop Blog on Tue, 23 Jun 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>Marc AcitoTue, 23 Jun 2009 15:00:00 ESTThe Upside: Hollywood dreams -- and nightmareshttp://www.walletpop.com/blog/2009/06/09/the-upside-hollywood-dreams-and-nightmares/http://www.walletpop.com/blog/2009/06/09/the-upside-hollywood-dreams-and-nightmares/http://www.walletpop.com/blog/2009/06/09/the-upside-hollywood-dreams-and-nightmares/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Breasts. Everywhere you look in Los Angeles, there they are, pushing out of push-up bras like two bald men kissing. Even the store mannequins have been enhanced. Nowhere else on the planet is so much money spent making so many women look so cheap.

Cleavage was definitely the must-have accessory at the recent Hollywood premiere of The Hangover. I attended as the guest of Spiderman producer Laura Ziskin, with whom I'm working on developing my comic novel How I Paid for College. The experience was eye-opening as well as eye-popping.

Continue reading The Upside: Hollywood dreams -- and nightmares

The Upside: Hollywood dreams -- and nightmares originally appeared on WalletPop Blog on Tue, 09 Jun 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>Charlie ChaplinCharlieChaplinHeather GrahamHeatherGrahamJeffrey KatzenbergJeffreyKatzenbergJeremy PivenJeremyPivenJim CarreyJimCarreyLaura ZiskinLauraZiskinMary PickfordMaryPickfordMotion Picture and Television FundMotionPictureAndTelevisionFundStand Up to CancerStandUpToCancerThe HangoverTheHangoverZac EfronZacEfronMarc AcitoTue, 09 Jun 2009 09:00:00 ESTThe Upside: Food fight and living beyond our seamshttp://www.walletpop.com/blog/2009/05/27/the-upside-food-fight-and-living-beyond-our-seams/http://www.walletpop.com/blog/2009/05/27/the-upside-food-fight-and-living-beyond-our-seams/http://www.walletpop.com/blog/2009/05/27/the-upside-food-fight-and-living-beyond-our-seams/#commentsFiled under: ,

The restaurant industry should have seen it coming. After all, when President Obama was Candidate Arugula he actually lost weight by avoiding fatty photo-ops, going so far as to order pancakes to go. (I know, who eats take-out pancakes? No one. Which was exactly the point.)

I can relate. I used to be the perfect weight -- if I was 6'4". I'm not sure of the exact number because once the scale tipped over 210 I stopped looking, mostly because I couldn't see past my gut. But I can tell you that my size 38 relaxed fit jeans were so relaxed they were practically comatose.

Now that I'm a snack-sized 151 pounds of fun, I've watched with a vested interest as the President chose Dr. Thomas Frieden to helm the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention -- and not just because vests are slimming. You see, Frieden's the guy who, as head of the New York City Department of Health, forced chain restaurants to post the calorie content of their food, sparking a national trend.

Naturally, many in the restaurant industry oppose anything that would stop consumers from emptying our wallets as we fill our bellies. Alfredo Sandoval's small New York chain of Mercadito Restaurants isn't affected yet, but could be as it expands. "It is a waste of time for restaurant operators and unnecessary information that the customer probably doesn't want to see," Sandoval says. "People go to restaurants to enjoy themselves, eat good food, have good drinks and have a good time."

But at whose expense? High calorie fast food may cost little monetarily, but will drive up health costs as Americans become the size of, in the words of Vogue editor Anna Wintour, "little houses."

Continue reading The Upside: Food fight and living beyond our seams

The Upside: Food fight and living beyond our seams originally appeared on WalletPop Blog on Wed, 27 May 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>anna wintourBusiness Plan for the BodycaloriesCenters for Disease ControlEuropean Congress on ObesityfeaturedfoodhealthMarc AcitoMarcAcitoMercadito RestaurantsobesityrestaurantsThe UpsideTheUpsideThomas FriedenThree Square GrillMarc AcitoWed, 27 May 2009 16:00:00 ESTThe Upside: Cost cut your haircut http://www.walletpop.com/blog/2009/05/10/the-upside-cost-cut-your-haircut/http://www.walletpop.com/blog/2009/05/10/the-upside-cost-cut-your-haircut/http://www.walletpop.com/blog/2009/05/10/the-upside-cost-cut-your-haircut/#commentsFiled under: , ,

I'm not a hairdresser, but I am gay, which is similar. So I can say with some authority that you can cut costs by cutting your own hair.

The easiest way is to be born male. Then you just shave your head with clippers. It's sleek, cheap and strangers will rub your head for good luck.

Marc Matsumoto of New York City started cutting his own hair to save money while pursuing his ambition of being a food writer. "It actually looks better," he says, "because now, instead of having it get shaggy at the end of the month before my next haircut, I just cut it myself once a week." Even the New York Times recently ran a photo essay of a laid-off project manager in Vermont shaving his own head, otherwise known as a slow news day.

So what is a woman to do? I consulted a fancy salon stylist and asked him if he had any advice for women cutting their own hair.

Continue reading The Upside: Cost cut your haircut

The Upside: Cost cut your haircut originally appeared on WalletPop Blog on Sun, 10 May 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>cut your own hairCutYourOwnHairfrugalhair careHairCaresavingsMarc AcitoSun, 10 May 2009 17:00:00 EST